The Government of Saint Lucia will host an official funeral for the late Denise Joyce Auguste, on Wednesday.

Ms. Denise Joyce Auguste, SLMN, OBE, MBE, JP, passed on Monday. May 18. She was a celebrated music icon and cultural activist.

According to Mr. Earl Huntley, Joyce is one of the legends of the artistic, cultural and sporting life in Saint Lucia. She first rose to national prominence in the field of sports and was one of the youngest players on the National Volleyball Team. She later studied at the Trinity College of Music, and also won a Commonwealth Music Award in 1966. She was instrumental in researching and documenting the island’s folk music, which was confined to rural areas at the time, discovered Dame Sesenne Descartes of Micoud, and has been responsible for the organization of a number of musical events in Saint Lucia.

The funeral will be held at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, at 2 p.m. on June 24. Interment will be at the Choc Cemetery. Due to circumstances surrounding the death, the body will not lie in repose.

Please view her full biography (att.)